Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dined on expensive steak at a “Salt Bae” restaurant in Istanbul during a stop-off returning from a visit to China, drawing furore back home where millions struggle to get enough to eat and red meat is a rare luxury.

Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gokce, who owns a chain of restaurants and is known as Salt Bae for his theatrical style of sprinkling salt on his steaks, posted videos and photos on his Twitter and Instagram feeds showing Maduro and his wife, Cilia, dining.

But Nusret, who has close to 16 million Instagram followers, later deleted them.

In one video, Maduro tells fellow diners: “This is a once in a lifetime moment,” as Gokce dramatically slices steak for them by their table while swaying his hips. In another video, Maduro smokes a cigar taken from a box with a plaque of his name.

Maduro confirmed the visit in a state broadcast later on Monday.

Venezuela’s political opposition jumped on the meal as evidence of Maduro’s disconnect from the country’s crisis, which has caused over 2 million people to emigrate to escape widespread shortages of food and medicine.

Almost two-thirds of Venezuelans surveyed in a university study published in February said they had lost on average 11kg (24 pounds) in body weight last year. Eighty-seven per cent were assessed to live in poverty.

“While Venezuelans suffer and die of hunger, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia enjoy one of the priciest restaurants in the world, all with money stolen from the Venezuelan people,” tweeted opposition leader Julio Borges, the former head of Congress.